


It Came in Waves

by NikAdair



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Very subtle klance, galra virus, infected mermaids, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:19:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: Alfor sighed, leaning against his spear. He seemed to age as he looked around them. “Those mermaids, the ones with the purple spots, they’ve been infected with the Galra Virus.” Lance’s breath hitched. Of course he knew what that virus was. Every mermaid did. It decimated villages and left mayhem in its wake. “The elders need you to swim east. There’s a village that has the cure. They need you to retrieve it and swim back as fast as you can.”Another scream sounded behind them, and Alfor clenched his hands on his spear. “Hurry, Lance. Without that cure, this village, these people, they won’t survive.” A mermaid streaked towards them, and Alfor pushed Lance behind him, using his spear to fend it off. “Go!” Lance hesitated for only a moment before taking off for the higher waters, keeping above the reef, keeping away from the infected. He was their only chance.





	It Came in Waves

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Hey There, Sharpshooter Bang over on Tumblr!  
Artist: [GhostBub](https://ghost-bub.tumblr.com/post/186956237631/this-is-my-piece-for-the-lanceloveshipbang-the)  
Beta: [Voido](https://twitter.com/crownunlimit)

The Altea tribe was located in the southern waters, in the area where the light started to disappear into the depths of the ocean. Their village was built around a massive coral reef, able to support their livelihoods as well as offer protection. They were known for their battle prowess, as well as their tribal pride. Warriors were trained young, starting at the age of five season cycles. They learned to defend and protect their families, being told that their safety was only second to that of the elders.

At the age of eighteen season cycles, warriors were given their final initiation - retrieving a medallion from the reef caves. They wore this medallion around their necks until they found a mate. It then became a betrothal gift, showing that they had every intent on living the remainder of their lives with them. It was a sacred gift, one that was very dear to the mermaids.

The day that Lance was ready to retrieve his medallion, he was awake before the sun could filter into the reef. He’d swam out, sitting on an outcropping near the edge of the reef, his tail swishing slowly through the water as he looked up at the surface. A distorted image of the brightening sky showed through, moving with the motion of the water. Purples and pinks and oranges mixed with the blue of the sea, shifting until the sky was alive with the streaming sunlight.

A shift in the current alerted him of movement, and he turned his head to see Veronica swimming towards him. Her markings glowed in dark waters - bright blue spots fading into stripes that travel along her tail, bands on her arm. Similar to his own. A family trait. It helped warriors find their families if they got separated. Lance still thought his looked better.

Veronica settled on an outcrop next to him, a little lower than the one he was sitting on. She didn’t say anything, looked up at the light slowly making its way to them. Lance flicked his tail towards her, sending a wave of water that hit her hair, her medallion moving with it. A reminder of the risks of being warrior. She’d lost her mate in a hunt, taken down by a shark that had come from below them. He hadn’t had enough time to react, and had lost his life.

“What’s got you up so early?” Lance asked. Veronica turned to look at him, her features schooled into a neutral look, but the worry unmistakable in her eyes. She drew her tail up towards herself, wrapping her arms around it and holding it against her chest.

“Can’t I watch the sunrise with my baby brother?” she said, resting her cheek against it. Lance frowned a little. They both knew why she was there, his entire family knew what day it was. No doubt they’d sent Veronica to check on him because they were the closest to each other.

“You don’t have to worry Roni, it’s just a medallion retrieval. These caves are safe, there’s no way anything could happen.” His voice was soft, soothing, and he hoped it would cause some of her worry to subside, despite the lie that it was. They both knew the dangers of this day. She sighed, turning to look out into the ocean.

“I know they are. But I still worry.” Veronica’s hand went to her medallion, twisting it between her fingers. The sunlight that had made it down to them glinted off of it, reflecting gold onto her face and hand. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Lance swam over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “This is me we’re talking about. I could outsmart anything that tried to attack me.” Veronica laughed a little, leaning onto him. “Besides, who would try to hurt someone as pretty as me?” Veronica snorted, shoving him, and Lance laughed with her. There was the sister he knew and loved.

“Just remember that you said that when you come back with a scar,” she said, between laughs. They drifted into silence, watching the sunlight grow brighter and brighter as it streamed into the water. They heard a shell being blown, and Veronica looked up at him. “Please be safe out there.”

He smiled down at her, nodding. “I always am.” They sat up and headed home. Veronica took a turn when they got closer to it, turning around to give him a small smile. Lance smiled back, nodding again as he swam to the far side of the reef. He found several other warriors there, anxious energy coming from them in waves.

Alfor, a much older warrior of the tribe, swam around in front of them, crossing his arms. “Today, you shall all become full-fledged warriors. Today, you venture down into the depths of the reef and retrieve your medallions. Today, you prove yourselves!” The warriors all gave a cry full of excitement and pride. “Now, you have until sundown to swim down, retrieve a medallion, and come back alive.”

A wave of nervousness went around the group. They knew the risks of going - falling coral, eels, sharks. They’d all heard the stories of warriors who had gotten severely injured or even killed because of their recklessness. It was why this was the final challenge for them. To prove that they were brave enough to retrieve their medallions and face whatever they had to do so. To prove that their own pride wouldn’t get in the way of their success.

Alfor smiled at them. “I hope to see you all here by sundown. Now, go! Prove your worth and make your families proud!” He swam to the side and the warriors all poured down into the darkness. Their markings lit up their surroundings, a brilliant turquoise taking over the area as the various shades of blue and green mixed together.

They swam for what felt like hours, deeper and deeper until they found the cave that held the medallions. The silence was eerie and nerve wracking, and they grew still as they approached the mouth of the cave, looking around. Their shifting made it hard to detect any threats, so they formed a small circle, their backs to each other, allowing them to look in all directions.

Lance was the first to break away from the group, swimming slowly into the cave. The others followed him, and they made their way into the innermost chamber. The ceiling rose above them, creating a coral dome with spikes rising from the floor and hanging from the ceiling. A pedestal sat in the center of the chamber, a pile of medallions tangled on top.

It felt too easy, being able to swim in and take one. Lance paused at the entrance of the chamber, causing the others to stop as well. “Why aren’t we going? They’re right there,” a voice whispered behind him. Lance turned, catching the eye of a green-tailed mermaid.

“This feels too easy. You remember what Alfor said, we had to come back alive. Why would he say that if it was an easy trek in and out?” He turned back to the chamber, his eyes scanning the room. Their markings did well to light the way there, but they didn’t do enough to light up the cavern. The back was hidden in shadows, and Lance couldn’t see a thing.

He reached down, throwing a stone into the room, hearing it clatter against coral spikes. A hissing came from below them, and the group instinctively moved back. Eels. No wonder there were so many spikes. They liked to live where they could twine themselves around coral spikes and hide. If he had to guess, the floor was littered with them, even more so the farther back they went.

Lance turned back to the group. “We go one at a time. The less we disturb the water, the less likely we are to disturb the eels. Keep your markings lit. Without the light, we won’t be able to see them coming for us until it’s too late.” The warriors all nodded, and he turned to the chamber.

His markings dimmed, cutting off his light but making him less of a target. The water felt chilly as he swam over the spikes. He kept to the upper part of the chamber, watching the ground. He could faintly make out the bodies of the eels on the floor, writhing but never leaving their spikes. Lance got to the center, diving towards the pedestal. He wrapped a rope around his hand and pulled up gently, the tinkling of metal on metal sounding throughout the chamber.

The eels hissed again, drowning out all the sound in the area. Lance froze, his medallion hanging barely above the pile, watching the ground. A few heads were locked on him, their red eyes watching him as he swayed in the current. He carefully hooked the rope around his neck and made his way back to the others, keeping as close to the ceiling as possible. He let out a long breath when he got back to the group. “Alright, so now it’s your turn,” he said to the others.

There wasn’t much fighting as to who would go next. There was an unspoken agreement that the faster swimmers would go last, since they had the better chance of making it out if something happened. They all watched with anticipation and nervousness as their friends went and collected their medallions. Each time, they had to wait for the eels to calm down, making the process take longer than they wanted.

By the time the last warrior got his medallion, the eels had become so restless from the constant noise that they’d started peeking their heads through the rocks, their skin lighting up a bright green. But none of them attacked, the slow movements of the mermaid making it nearly impossible for the eels to detect him. They settled back onto the floor, and the warrior returned to the group.

Spirits were high as they started back towards the surface. This far down, they couldn’t tell where the sun was, but their instincts told them they still had time to make it. Lance was proud of their group. Proud that they’d all collected their medallions. Proud that they’d all gotten back unharmed. He beamed with pride as he turned to them. But his brows furrowed as he counted their numbers.

“Has anyone seen Trigel?” Lance asked, stopping the group. The green tailed mermaid from before, the one who asked him why they didn’t just swim in to get the medallions, she was nowhere to be seen in their group. The other warriors shook their heads, worry starting to spread. Lance bit hit lip, making an executive decision. “You all go back to Alfor and tell him Trigel is missing. I’m going back down to find her.”

He made his way through the group as they swam past him, lighting his markings as bright as he could. This far down, Trigel’s green markings would glow brighter than his own. 

“Trigel! Where are you?” he shouted, knowing that this much sound wasn’t good for keeping predators away. He didn’t see anything as continued down.

A sound caught his attention to his right, in a cave a few tail lengths away from the medallion cavern. He swam in, picking his way slowly from spike to spike. A faint green lit up the back wall, and he kept his guard up at he swam. He saw a mermaid tail lying limp on the ground the closer he got, and his breath caught in his throat. “Trigel…”

Lance swam quickly over to her, checking for any threats as he did. She had cuts on her arms and tails, and a nasty gash on her head. But she was breathing. That was all that mattered. He gently picked up her, careful to hold here where there weren’t cuts, and swam as quickly as he could back to Alfor. Trigel felt warm, too warm for his liking, and her breathing was starting to pick up.

Alfor swam over to them as soon as Lance reached the edge of the reef, and took Trigel from him. He frowned, looking among the group, his eyes settling on Lance. “You did the right thing in going back for her. You all did the right thing in coming back and telling me. You’re dismissed for today. I need to get her to the healer.” Alfor took off, faster than anyone had ever seen him swim before, leaving them at the reef’s edge.

The warriors were rooted where they swam, looking after Alfor. Lance scrubbed at his skin, swiping blood off of his arms and chest. Something felt wrong about this. He knew what eel attacks looked like. Bite marks on any available body part, rarely ever leaving the mermaid alive. This… this was different. Still animalistic in nature, but not anything he’d seen before. It left him on edge.

-.-.-

The swim back to the village was quiet, none of the warriors knowing what to say. Their excitement at having all collected their medallions had disappeared as soon as Lance had brought Trigel back. It was somber, melancholy, and everyone’s faces were painted with worry. Some tried to go to the healer, to check on Trigel, but Lance told them that she’d be fine. That she was a fighter.

He swam back home, pushing his worry away and feigning excitement as he went inside. His mother was the first to see him, rushing over and checking him over. “Did anything happen? Did you get hurt?” she said as she turned him this way and that. Lance chuckled, pushing her probing hands away and spinning in a full circle.

“I’m alright mom, but look!” He held up his medallion, watching it catch the light from the setting sun. “I’m a full-fledged warrior now!” His mother took it gingerly in her hands, looking it over, before looking up at him. Tears welled in her eyes as she threw her arms around him.

“Oh, I’m so proud of you! I knew you could do it,” she said, her voice watery from tears but full of pride. “Come on, we’ll make your favourite tonight.” She took his hand and pulled him towards the inner part of their home. There, he found his father and younger siblings playing some imaginary game while Veronica watched. She looked up when they swam in, and Lance sent her a wide smile, holding up the medallion.

She looked relieved when she saw it, swimming over and wrapping him in a hug. “I’m glad you’re home safe.” Lance nodded, and Veronica pulled back, searching his face. “We can talk about whatever happened later, okay?” He opened his mouth to question how she knew, but she shook her head, winking.

“Alright McClains! It seems our warrior in training has finally passed! It’s time to celebrate!” His father and siblings all scrambled towards him, each taking turns to look at his medallion while his mother and Veronica disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to start cooking dinner.

He recounted his tale of heroism - how he’d swum over a thousand eels in pitch black, how he’d fought a particular ornery one that tried to take a bite out of him. His siblings stared at him in awe as he spoke, believing every word he said. “When I get older, I wanna be just like Lance!” Marco yelled, bouncing up and down.

Lance chuckled, ruffling Marco’s hair. “I don’t know buddy, how do you do with dark places?” Marco looked up at him, fright in his eyes. Lance pulled him into a hug, tickling Marco until he was screaming with laughter. “Don’t worry, Warrior Lancey will fight off all the monsters that hide in the dark!”

It wasn’t long before Veronica came over, smiling at them. “Dinner’s ready, let's eat.” They all piled into the dining room, instantly hit with the smell of food. It made Lance’s mouth water, and he momentarily forgot about what had happened to Trigel. Dinner was full of laughter and excitement. This was what today was supposed to be like.

Lance and Veronica offered to clean up, giving them a chance to talk. “So what happened today?” Veronica asked, scrubbing at a dish. Lance bit his lip, wishing she hadn’t asked. He wasn’t even entirely sure what had happened. He ran a seaweed rag over a bowl, sighing.

“We were on our way back when I noticed that Trigel was missing. I went back to find her, and found her in a cave not too far from the medallion cave. When I got to her, she was covered in cuts and scratches and had a nasty gash on her head.” Lance’s hands were shaking slightly, and he busied himself with stacking dishes.

“It could’ve been an eel attack,” Veronica said, her movements slow. Lance shook his head, turning towards her. She stopped what she was doing, giving Lance her full attention.

“That’s just it. I’ve seen eel attacks, this was nothing like. I don’t know what happened, but I don’t like it.” Lance crossed his arms, looking outside at the dark water around them. “Something else attacked her, and I’m worried it’s going to attack us.” His voice had dropped several notches, just barely above a whisper.

Purple flared up far in the distance, and Lance blinked, leaning closer to the window. It’d been there for a brief moment, and he thought maybe he’d imagined it. But it flared up again. Something in his stomach twisted, and he jumped when Veronica grabbed his shoulder. “Lance, there’s nothing-“

“Roni, look, do you see that?” Lance said, cutting her off. She looked out the window, in the direction that Lance was pointing. The light had faded, and she started to shake her head, when it flared up again. “What is that?” It faded and flared up yet again, each time getting closer but moving to the right, until it disappeared from their line of sight.

A scream came from outside, and they rushed out, blocking the door to their home. Several mermaids were out, swimming quickly. The water around them was lit up with purple, but not from the mermaids markings. They had purple spots littering their skin, flaring up and fading away as they moved. They were banging on doors and and clawing at windows. “Roni, get everyone to the caves.” Lance ordered, turning to her.

“No, I’m not leaving you!” Veronica said, gripping her hands tightly on the door frame. Lance looked at her, saw the fear in her eyes, her jaw clenched. He laid his hands over hers, squeezing them.

“They need to get to safety, and you’re the only one who can do that.” Veronica didn’t budge, sending him a steely glare. He squeezed her hands again. “I promise I’ll be okay. I’m Lance, remember?” She glared at him a moment longer before slowly pulling her hands away.

“You better keep that promise,” she said, turning to their family. “We need to go, and we need to go now. Grab only what you need.” She turned back to Lance. “Promise me you’ll meet us at the caves when you can.” Lance nodded, holding out his pinky. She took it, nodding. “Go, help them.”

Lance took off for the elders’ home, knowing that they were his first priority. He swam past the healer’s home, finding Trigel banging on the window. Her markings were dull and lifeless, and she was covered in purple spots. Bile rose in his throat, and he kept swimming. Alfor was waiting for him, his spear in hand.

“Lance, the elders have a special mission for you,” he said, his deep voice booming in the silence. Lance stopped in front of him, catching his breath. “Do you know what’s happening?” He shook his head. All he knew was that mermaids were attacking them.

Alfor sighed, leaning against his spear. He seemed to age as he looked around them. “Those mermaids, the ones with the purple spots, they’ve been infected with the Galra Virus.” Lance’s breath hitched. Of course he knew what that virus was. Every mermaid did. It decimated villages and left mayhem in its wake. “The elders need you to swim east. There’s a village that has the cure. They need you to retrieve it and swim back as fast as you can.”

Another scream sounded behind them, and Alfor clenched his hands on his spear. “Hurry, Lance. Without that cure, this village, these people, they won’t survive.” A mermaid streaked towards them, and Alfor pushed Lance behind him, using his spear to fend it off. “Go!” Lance hesitated for only a moment before taking off for the higher waters, keeping above the reef, keeping away from the infected. He was their only chance.

-.-.-

Lance swam and swam, ignoring his instincts to go back and help his tribe. He swam until the noise faded away, until his reef had receded to nothing. He swam and swam until the sun started setting, until the ocean fell silent. He continued until he got to a small reef system, settling into a depression on the upper level, looking up at the stars.  
  
“This can’t be real,” he whispered to himself. “This can’t actually be happening.” His stomach twisted with worry and guilt for leaving his family unprotected, but he knew they were safe. They had to be. Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he released it. “It’s only a few days. Then I’ll be back and everything will be over.”  
  
When he awoke the next morning, it was before the sun had risen. He caught a few fish to eat before taking off again, using the sea currents to guide him. As he reached another stretch of open ocean, the scent of the water changed, turning metallic. It made him still for a moment, closing his eyes and letting his other senses take over.  
  
There was movement up ahead, different to that of the current. The metallic scent got stronger the longer he was there, the cross current carrying it towards him. He could feel something cutting across it, in and out, an unnatural movement. Lance opened his eyes, biting his lip as he switched course slightly to follow the scent.  
  
He followed it for what felt like hours, never seeing a source for it. As the light started to turn orange, he gave up his search, backtracking and swimming towards a cave system he’d passed. Along the way, he caught a few fish, knowing he needed to keep his strength up. As he got closer, he was hit with a wave of metallic.  
  
He slowed, using the current to move him as he got closer. The light did little to illuminate the cave, but it cut through the shadows enough to look in. He saw a mermaid huddled in the back, and yet another wave of metallic hit him. There was seaweed bound loosely around their arm, but not tight enough to stop the bleeding. Lance hesitated in the entrance of the cave, not sure what to do.  
  
His hand gripped the edge of the coral, and a piece fell, falling to the cave floor. The figure whipped their head towards him, teeth bared and markings glowing red. Lance raised his hands in defence, swimming in a slow circle to show he was unarmed. The figure eyed him suspiciously, their hand tightening around the seaweed.  
  
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Lance said softly, swimming slowly towards them. “If we don’t get that bandaged properly, we’re going to attract sharks.” The figure gripped their arm tighter, but didn’t stop Lance from getting closer. As he did, he realized the figure was a male. What looked to be black eyes at the entrance of the cave turned purple the closer he got.  
  
Lance stopped a few feet away, settling on the ground next to the boy. “My name is Lance, what’s yours?” The boy looked at him, curling into himself. Lance bit his lip, reaching a hand out towards him. The boy sunk back, shifting the seaweed. It fell away from his arm, and Lance could see a large gash on his arm. The boy scrambled to cover it back up, causing more blood to seep into the water. “Let me help, I can bind it correctly.”  
  
The boy was hesitant, but he relaxed a little, moving his arm closer to Lance. Lance took the seaweed, smoothing it out and laying it on top of the gash. The boy hissed in pain, and Lance gave him an apologetic smile before wrapping it around his arm. He pulled the seaweed taut before doubling over it, tying it in a tight not. The boy looked at the binding, twisting his arm this way and that, examining it.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, pulling his arm back to his chest. Lance saw scrolls held tightly against his body, and the boy hid them from view. “My name is Keith,” he said quietly. If Lance hadn’t been paying attention, he might’ve missed it.

  
“What happened Keith? Where’s your village?” Lance asked. Keith turned away, curling in on himself again. He could see the indecisiveness on his face. A silent war between wanting to say something and refusing to. He sighed, turning away. Lance cocked his head to the side, looking at him. “What are the scrolls?”

Keith tightened his arms around them, looking down at them. “Do you have any food?” he asked, keeping his gaze on the scrolls. Lance watched him - his tail twitched weakly, his markings still glowing. He was shaking slightly, as though afraid. Lance bit his lip, looking back up at his face.

“No, but I can go get something, if you want,” Lance offered, giving him a small smile. Keith glanced up at him, nodding slightly. Lance’s smile grew a little as he nodded back, swimming towards the cave entrance. Part of him wanted to stay and keep an eye on Keith, but a larger part knew that he should get food. He looked as though he hadn’t eaten that day.

Lance didn’t swim far from the cave. He didn’t have to. This reef had plenty of fish that didn’t know to stay away from him. Lance caught an armful of them before returning. Keith was still huddled against the far wall, but he looked more relaxed than he had before. He turned his head towards Lance when he got back, and he showed him the fish. “I caught plenty, so eat as much as you need.”

Keith was quick to take some fish, practically scarfing them down. He slowed after a third, his cheeks going red when he realized how fast he’d been eating. “Sorry,” he mumbled, taking a bite of the fish. Lance chuckled, shaking his head.

“Don’t be, you look like you needed a good meal.” Lance settled against a side wall, stretching out across the cave floor. His tail just barely touched the far wall. Keith eyed him, suspicion in his eyes, but Lance smiled. “Gotta make sure nothing out there gets in.” Keith’s eyes narrowed, but he turned his attention back to the fish.

Lance took a few for himself, looking out to the mouth of the cave. The sun had set, and it was dark outside. The only light that came to them was from the full moon and their own markings. They mixed together to create a light purple, a colour mixture Lance had never seen before. His tribe’s colours were blues and greens, nothing like the red that Keith had.

“Do you still want to know what happened?” Keith asked quietly. Lance looked over at him. He had a fish bone in his hand, twisting it between his fingers. He refused to look up at Lance, but his eyes did dart briefly in his direction. “Do you?”

Lance nodded, not wanting his curiosity to make him change his mind. Keith shifted, turning a little to face him. The scrolls laid across his lap in a neat pile. Lance watched him, letting him take his time in telling his story. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “My tribe lives-” he took a shuddering breath, “-lived a few days swim from here. We were attacked by another tribe ravaged by the Galra Virus.”

Lance frowned, his mind drifting to his own tribe. “The elders found me and gave me these scrolls, telling me to swim as fast and as far as I could and not to look back. To protect them with my life.” Keith’s eyes went down to the scrolls. “So I did. I left and didn’t look back, even when I heard the screams of my people. One of the infected caught up to me, gave me this.” Keith gestured to his arm.

“I lost my knife in the fight, but I got away. I kept swimming and ended up here, and then you found me.” Keith’s voice grew quiet, mixing with the ocean current. “These scrolls are the only things I have left of my tribe. I’m in charge of protecting them. If anything happens to them…” His voice trailed off, but Lance got the idea.

Lance was a little wary. Being attacked by an infected mermaid meant becoming infected. “What happens when…” Lance didn’t finish his question, didn’t think he had to. Keith looked up at him with tired eyes.

“I won’t get sick. My tribe- the Marmora tribe never got sick from this. I don’t know why, but it’s why we had these.” He gestured to the scrolls. “As far as I know, this is the only record of the cure. It’s why I have to protect it.” Keith sighed, leaning back against the wall.

Lance spoke before he knew what he was saying. “You need to come back with me. Please. My tribe… if you don’t, they’ll all die. Please.” He knew he was begging, he could hear it in his voice. Could see it in the way that Keith grabbed the scrolls, holding them close. “Keith please!” Tears sprung in his eyes. Keith was his only hope. He had to come back with him.

Keith gripped the scrolls tightly against him. Tears slipped down Lance’s face. “Keith please…!” His voice cracked and broke, a sob ripping through him. He bowed his head, clenching his fists. “If you don’t come back, there won’t be anything to come back to…” His throat tightened, and he stopped speaking, not being able to talk without his voice cracking.

“Okay.” Lance snapped his head up. Keith had turned his head away from him, and his voice was so quiet that Lance thought he’d imagined it. “I’ll come back.” Lance’s chest tightened, and a manic laugh escaped him. He didn’t know what he was doing when he lunged forward and wrapped Keith in a hug, only knew he was moving when Keith stiffened.

“God, I’m sorry!” Lance said quickly, letting go of him and moving back to his spot on the wall. Keith still hadn’t turned to look at him, but he wore what looked to be the beginnings of a smile. “So, we’ll leave in the morning?” Keith nodded, glancing at him. Lance smiled at him, turning his gaze to the moonlight outside the cave. “Sleep well Keith, we have quite the swim ahead of us.”

-.-.-

The sun was high in the sky when Lance woke up the next morning. He squinted at the light streaming into the cave as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He turned, seeing Keith curled up on the ground, still asleep. His markings pulsed dimly with his breathing, and his hair fell on his face. The scrolls were tucked in his arms, clutched against his chest.

Lance bit his lip. After everything Keith had been through, he didn’t want to wake him, but the fate of his village depended on them getting back. “Keith, it’s time to wake up,” he called softly, swimming over. Keith curled tighter on himself and Lance smiled. “Come on, we need to get going.” Lance reached a hand out and gently shook his shoulder.

Keith jerked awake, a hand grabbing Lance’s wrist while the other kept the scrolls against his chest. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and his eyes darted around the cave. They landed on Lance, and he blinked a few times. His breathing evened out and his hand dropped to his lap. Lance pulled his back, rubbing at his wrist. There were small half moons in his skin from where Keith’s nails had bitten into it. “Sorry about that,” Keith mumbled.

He settled against the wall, running his fingers through his hair to push it out of his face. Lance shook his head. “Don’t be, I should’ve known better than to shake you awake,” he said. Keith looked at him, and Lance smiled. “I’ll go get us some breakfast before we go.” He didn’t wait for a response, leaving the cave in search of fish.

Lance took a moment to let the sunlight soak into his skin, revelling in the warmth of it. The water shifted behind him, and he turned to see a shark swimming below, close to the cave entrance. A waft of a metallic smell hit him, and his eyes widened. “Keith’s arm…” He shot down towards the cave, startling the shark. “Keith! You need to get out of there!”

The shark was quick to turn its attention to Lance, and swam after him. Lance changed direction, weaving between coral towers. The shark was quick, but he was quicker. He darted behind a tower and the shark sped past him. It stopped a few tail lengths away, turning slowly in one direction and then the other. Lance swam out from behind his tower right as the shark turned back towards where it had come from.

He took off for the open ocean, leading it as far from the reef as possible. The shark followed after him, barely giving the cave a second look. Lance hoped that Keith had left. But he didn’t have time to think about it. He had to come up with a way to get rid of the shark, and fast.

He bared his teeth as a flash of red streaked past him. It barrelled into the shark, and it took him a moment to realise what it was. “Keith?!” The shark shook its head, turning its attention to the red mermaid. Keith had a jagged piece of coral in his hand, his markings glowing brightly. His teeth were bared and the water made his hair float around him, making him appear larger than he was. The shark charged at him and he dodged to the side, a hand reaching out and grabbing a fin.

Keith used the shark’s momentum to twist it around, his elbow coming down on its back. It came to a stop, reaching around and trying to bite him. He backed up, staying out of the shark’s reach while still having ahold of its fin. He used his tail to whip its snout, flicking back in time to avoid being bitten. The shark grew angrier, thrashing about.

“Lance, grab its tail!” Keith shouted. Lance blinked, swimming quickly over to it. Its tail swung this way and that, its quick motions making it hard to get a grip on it. He timed his movements and got his arms wrapped around the base of it. “When I say so, flip the shark over!” Lance nodded and Keith whipped its snout again. “Now!”

Lance spun the tail at the same time that Keith pushed its fin up. The shark flipped onto its back and immediately stopped moving. Lance let go of its tail, swimming over to Keith, who had a hand on its fin. “Sharks can’t move if their upside down. It disorients them.” He dropped the coral piece and it sank into the water. “Come on, we don’t have a lot of time before it rolls back over. We need to get the scrolls and get going.”

Keith swam back to the cave, and Lance followed after him. Keith moved aside a pile of rocks on the back wall, pulling the scrolls from their hiding place before swimming back out. He paused for a second, pulling off two coral pieces, and handing once to Lance. “Just in case. Now, lead the way, Blue Boy.”

Lance frowned a little at the nickname, but turned and started off in the direction of his village. It’d taken him a day and a half to get to the caves, and it’d been two days since he’d left. It’d be another two days before he got back, and there was no telling what would have happened in that time. He had to hope that everything would be okay.

They took a short break at a small reef system to eat. Lance caught a few fish on the way, and they settled on an outcropping. It was quiet while they ate, both on alert for sharks. When they finished, they started swimming again. They found a cave system as the light started to fade, and after a quick check for predators, they settled in one.

“Thank you, for earlier,” Lance said, settling against a side wall. Keith smiled a little, nodding. His hands were fidgeting with the seaweed bindings on the scroll, and Lance’s curiosity won out. “We should probably look at what we need. I don’t know if the healer will have everything in their home.” Keith looked up at him, watching him, before sighing and gesturing for Lance to come closer.

He unraveled the first scroll and laid it flat on the ground. Lance swam over to his right, looking down at it. There was a description of the Galra virus - a description of its symptoms, what happens as it takes over the mermaids body, and how it’s transmitted. Lance frowned as he read them, images flashing through his mind of his tribe members being taken over by the disease.

Mermaids with dull markings no longer able to glow. Mermaids with glowing purple spots on every open part of their body - their arms, their faces, even their tails. Mermaids that had gone mad from the violence, lashing out at their families. He shook his head. Keith rolled up the scroll, carefully tying it, and unraveled the other one.

This one was set up in more of a list. Several ingredients ran down the page. Lance recognised a few of them, the more common ones that he’d seen in the healer’s home. At the bottom of the list was a single ingredient that was the reason behind it’s protection. The blood of an immune mermaid. He looked over at Keith. His face had grown paler as he saw the list. “Figures that’s why I was told to run,” Keith said quietly.

Lance turned back to the scroll. “I recognise a lot of these. But the others, we don’t have them. We need to get them before we can go back,” he said, making a mental list of what they still needed. Deep sea eel blood, shark scales, crushed orange coral. Only three ingredients, but not three that his tribe had ever had on hand.

Deep sea eel blood wouldn’t be too hard to get. If he swam far enough down from his reef, he’d encounter the eels. It was just a matter a catching one alone. Shark scales, not too difficult, but not one his tribe collected, so he didn’t know much about it. Sharks steered clear of their reed. Crushed orange coral, however, would be a little harder to get. His reef’s coral was blue and green, allowing them to camouflage better. Orange coral grew further away, in the warmer waters.

A memory surfaced in his mind. A blur of orange as he swam away. “There’s an outcropping of orange coral on the way back. I passed it leaving. And shark scales, we can find a shark.” Lance’s voice picked up some as he started thinking about curing his village. “I can get the deep sea eel blood, there’s a nest of them below my reef. Keith, we can actually save them.”

He turned his eyes to Keith, seeing blue on his skin from his marks. His eyes looked sad, his lips turned up in the slightest of smiles. “I hope so, Lance. I really do.” Keith took the scroll, rolling it up and tying it closed, setting it with the other. “I’ll take care of the shark while you take care of the eel. I’ll meet you at your reef, okay?”

Lance’s breath caught, the intention in his words clear. _ You go back without me, I’ll meet you there. _ “How do I know you’ll come back?” The words slipped from him before he could think, his voice soft and fragile. Keith’s smile grew, and he gave the scrolls to Lance.

“It’s my job to protect these scrolls. If you have them, then I have to come back, right?” Lance nodded, holding them against his chest. “I’ll come back, I promise. Just, be safe, okay?” Keith’s voice wavered a little, and he cleared his throat. “I should get going, I’ll see you in one day’s time.”

Lance didn’t get a chance to say anything before Keith was swimming back in the direction they’d come. He clutched the scrolls tightly as Keith’s red markings disappeared into the inky ocean. “Be safe, Keith. You promised.”

-.-.-

Lance didn’t get much sleep that night. He left the caves while the moon was still high in the sky. He swam as fast as he could back to his reef, the sun chasing him as he did, only stopping to collect some orange coral, tucking it into the scrolls to keep it safe. It was high in the sky when the familiar blue and green structures came into view. He was relieved to see it, but knew he didn’t have time to revel in that relief. He looked down, finding an alcove on the edge to hide the scrolls.

Lance took a deep breath, letting the sun warm his skin before swimming down into the water. The light soon faded, and his markings lit up, blue light illuminating his way through the darkness. He kept the coral to his right until he hit the sea shelf. From there, he swam further down, keeping his eyes trained on the cliff. Eels lived in caves far down in the rock.

A flash of green caught his eye a little ways down, and he streaked towards it. It disappeared in the cliff, and when Lance got to where it’d been, he found a cave opening, the green fading into its depths. He chased after it, swimming as fast as he could after the light. The cave twisted and turned, the light ever escaping his grasp. It collected at the end, shadows being cast from rocks that jutted out from the floor and ceiling.

Lance caught up to it, finding an eel staring back at it. It hissed at him, writhing around the space at the end of the cave. “Well, you’re not poisonous, but you are vicious. But I need you to save my village, so you’re coming with me, dead or alive.” He slowly swam closer, watching the eel for any signs of it striking. It hissed again, it’s tail lashing out towards him.

He caught it, jerking the eel to the ground. “Alright, so it seems like you’re not going alive then,” he said through gritted teeth. The eel fought against his hold, its head streaking forward as it tried to bite him. Lance jerked away, his hand reaching down and picking up a rock. The eel struck out at him again, and Lance lifted his arm, using his tail to pin down its body as he trapped its head with his arm. “I’m sorry.” He used the rock to kill it quickly, not wanting it to suffer.

The green light faded as the eel died, leaving the cave bathed in blue. Lance sighed, dropping the rock next to him. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I’m sorry it had to be this way.” He slung the eel over his back, swimming back towards the alcove where’d hidden the scrolls. As he returned to the light, he saw a familiar figure waiting for him. “Good to see you, Red.”

Keith chuckled, holding out the scrolls in one hand and a seaweed pouch in the other “Good to see you, too, Blue Boy. I see you’ve conquered the eel?” Lance laughed, taking the scales from Keith. He gave him a once over, checking for any more injuries, and was relieved to find the arm gash being the only one there.

“And you with the shark.” Keith smirked, and Lance laughed. “Come on, we need to find the elders and healer.” He took Keith’s hand and pulled them above the reef. He could see infected mermaids swimming around his village, and something vile twisted in his stomach. Keith squeezed his hand, and Lance looked over at him.

“We’ll save them,” he said softly. Lance nodded, training his eyes ahead. As they got to the far side of the reef, he lead them down into the coral. He turned down a pathway, swimming deeper into the coral. Keith followed without question, making the turns with as much ease as a native Altean.

They came to a cave system, and Lance slowed them, stopping outside the entrance. “These caves are our emergency homes,” he whispered to him. “If they’re still alive, they’d be here.” His voice hitched on that last sentence, but he shook it off, leading them slowly into the caves. His blue markings lit up the dark, both for their sake and to let the elders know that he wasn’t infected.

The swam into the far reaches of the caves before a voice came towards them. “Who’s there?” A male voice, a deep rumbling coming through the water. Lance released a breath of relief, recognising the voice.

“Blaytz, it’s me, Lance. I’ve come back with the recipe for the cure.” A larger, older mermaid swam towards them. His markings illuminated the cave far more than Lance’s did, and he could see the other elders hiding before rocks, looking at him.

Blaytz stopped a few feet away from him, his arms crossed. “Who’s your friend here?” Lance stopped where he was, feeling Keith pull his hand away. Red lit up and mixed with the blue as Keith’s markings started to glow.

“This is Keith, a member of the Marmora tribe. It’s a long story, but he has the scrolls from his elders, and we have the ingredients for the cure,” Lance said, offering up the eel and the scales. Keith poured the orange coral into one hand and held it out to Blaytz. The healer came out from where she’d hidden, swimming towards them. She took the scrolls from Keith and unraveled them, her eyes darting over the list.

“You have half the ingredients,” her raspy voice said. “I have the others, but they’re in my home. Without them, we’re doomed.” Lance took a deep breath before handing the eel and the scales to Keith.

“I’ll go back and get them. Keith, you stay here with the elders, they need you here,” Lance said, turning to look at him. Keith tried to protest, but Lance cut him off before he could say anything. “If something happens to you, there is no cure. I’ll be back, I promise.”

Keith looked torn, and he reached a hand out, grabbing Lance’s arm. “How do I know you’ll come back?” Lance chuckled, his hands going to his neck. He pulled off his medallion, putting it around Keith’s neck. Keith’s hand went to it, holding it gingerly in his hand.

“I’m supposed to protect that with my life. If you have it, I have to come back, right?” Lance said, his lips quirked up into a smile. Keith nodded, closing his hand around it. “I’ll be safe.” He turned to the healer. “I’ll be back with the ingredients we need.” The healer nodded and Lance swam out of the cave.

He kept in the darker part of the water as he swam to the village. As he got closer, he could feel the currents bending and colliding with each other, and when he got there, he saw infected mermaids swimming swiftly between homes, peering in open doors and broken windows. Lance’s heart twisted and bile rose in his throat. These were his people. He had to save them.

Lance shot up through the coral, darting behind an outcropping and peering around the edge. There were two mermaids across from him, their eyes blown and feral looking. They were fighting, snarling and lashing out at each other. In their distraction, they had yet to notice Lance, and he swam quickly to another outcropping, keeping his eyes on them. They didn’t turn around, and he turned his gaze forward.

Another mermaid was swimming towards him, their skin glowing purple from the spots that littered it, and Lance shot higher up, twisting around to fall into a cave. The mermaid shot past his cave, but didn’t see him. He peeked out, seeing the mermaid stop and look around before taking off to the right. He let out a breath and crept out, keeping to the shadows as he swam over the village.

The healer lived near the center of the village, near where the elders lived. He’d been there quite a few times during his warrior training, so the familiar seaweed plants growing on top of the roof were a welcome sight. He stopped a few tails length away, seeing the area teaming with infected mermaids. He steeled himself and shot forward, pausing at every outcropping for an opening between them until he go the healers home.

He darted in through the broken window, the glass catching on his tail, and he hissed in pain, narrowly avoiding a chair as he fell onto the floor. Blood seeped into the water, the red clouding the area around the wound. Lance pulled a rag from the table, ripping it into strips and wrapping it around his tail. It wasn’t pretty, but it would have to do. He swam over to the shelves, his eyes scanning the shelves.

“Seaweed root, grey whale saliva, fish fins, and seahorse blood,” he said to himself, keeping track of what he pulled from the shelves. Lance pulled down a two bags and two jars, setting them on the table as he looked around for a satchel. He found one in the closet and put the ingredients in it, slinging the bag over his shoulder. A crash came from his left, and he turned to see a mermaid shaking their head, glass imbedded in their skin and on the floor.

They snarled at him and shot forward. Lance barely dodged them, swimming out of the window. There were a few more mermaids waiting for him outside, and they turned towards him as he shot past. Hands reached out to grab him, just barely missing him. Lance swam high up into the light, using it to his advantage.

He swam quickly for the denser part of the reef, hearing several snarls behind him. Lance was so focused on the area ahead that he didn’t notice the mermaid swimming to his left until they crashed into him. He swerved and crashed into a coral outcrop, tumbling down its side. Several cuts littered his skin as he shook off the daze, falling back into a cave. The mermaids crowded near him, but none made an attempt to find him. Their aggression started making them fight each other, and after a while, they swam back to the village.

Lance winced as he swam out, the cuts on his arms and side stinging from the salt in the water. His tail ached from the gash, but he pushed through the pain, swimming as fast as he could back to the caves. He dove down into the depths of the reef, finding the caves and swimming into them. He saw Keith first, and swam to him, collapsing into him. Keith caught him, his eyes going wide. “Lance, are you okay? What happened?” His voice was laced with panic, and Lance forced a small smile.

“Had a run in with some coral, it’s nothing too serious.” Lance took off the satchel, reaching his hand out towards the healer. “I got everything. We need to hurry, there’s so many infected people. We can’t let them stay like that.” The healer rushed forward, taking the ingredients from Lance and swimming back to her spot near the wall.

Keith helped Lance sit against a side wall, and he rested his head back, closing his eyes. “You told me you’d be okay,” Keith said in a quiet voice. Lance cracked an eye open, seeing Keith’s brows pinched together and his lip tucked between his teeth. He reached a hand forward, cupping his cheek.

“I told you I’d come back too, and I did.” Keith leaned a little into his hold, his hand taking Lance’s free one. “None of the mermaids got me, I’m not going to get sick. It’s just some scratches, nothing ole Lancey can’t take.” Keith shook his head, squeezing his hand.

“You better not get sick. I won’t forgive you if you do,” Keith said, his lips quirked up in a small smile. Lance laughed, closing his eyes again. He sighed, his exhaustion taking over his body as his adrenaline seeped away. “Get some rest, you need it.” Lance nodded, dropping his hand into his lap. He leaned against Keith, who wrapped an arm around him, and he fell asleep.

-.-.-

Lance woke up the next morning to sunlight hitting his face. He sat up slowly, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. He knew he was in a coral cave, but it was different than the one he’d fallen asleep in. He looked around, seeing several mermaids sleeping behind him, and it took him a second to realize they were his family. A feeling of relief ran through him at seeing them safe and sound.

Instinctively, his hand went to his neck, looking for his medallion, but grasped nothing. An image of a red mermaid with black hair popped into his head, and he remembered he’d given it to Keith. But where was he? Lance did another once over of the cave, but didn’t see him. Slowly, he got up, stretching as he did and feeling every sore spot on his body protest at the movement.

He swam outside, searching for any hint of red. This early in the morning, everything was cloaked in oranges and pinks, tinting the coral purple. Purple that gave him flashbacks to the virus he’d risked his life to cure. A shiver ran down his spine at those memories, and he pushed them away, returning his attention to finding the red mermaid.

The higher he swam, the more coral outcropping appeared, and it soon turned into a maze of tinted coral. The current changed slightly as he passed a coral stack, just barely, but enough to alert him of movement. He stilled, turning slowly. He found a red tail moving slowly in the current, a red that Lance knew he’d never forgot.

Keith was turned away from him, his face tilted towards the surface. Lance swam slowly, keeping down current. Not that it did any good. “I see that Sleeping Beauty is finally awake,” Keith said, his back still to him. His voice was tinged with humour, soft, carried by the current to him. He might’ve scowled at the comment had he not been relieved to see him.

“Good to know that Mr. Mullet is still here,” Lance said, swimming over to the outcropping and sitting next to him. Keith rolled his eyes, but smiled at him. Lance smiled back, pointing at the medallion around his neck. “I’m glad you didn’t lose it,” Lance said. Keith smiled, a hand going to hold the medallion.

“You think you’re so sly, giving this to me,” Keith said, looking down at the small metal disc. “I’m not entirely blind to what this means, you know.” Lance blushed, looking away, and he heard Keith chuckle. “My father was a member of this tribe. Met my mother while out on a hunting trip.” He chuckled again, and Lance looked at him. A sad smile graced his lips. “They were the talk of my village - the blue and red lovers. He’d given her his medallion, and she treasured it until the day…”

Keith trailed off, but Lance knew what he meant. Until the day that his tribe was attacked. He turned to him, his sad smile softening into something else. “I know what it means to give someone their medallion.” Keith’s voice had grown soft, more of a rumble than a voice, and Lance felt it in the water the brushed against his skin. He turned his gaze back to the surface of the water.

He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, and he stiffened for a second, but relaxed into Keith’s hold. “So, what are you going to do now?” Lance asked, hesitant to break the silence. He felt more than heard Keith hum through the muscles of his chest.

“Well, the elders want to keep the scrolls so that the cure is ready to be made, but I told them they couldn’t keep them. That I was supposed to protect them with my life. They weren’t too pleased to hear that, but Blaytz saw your medallion, and said that I was more than welcome to stay,” Keith said, squeezing Lance’s arm. Lance leaned further into him, smiling at that notion.

“I’m really glad to hear that,” Lance said, barely above a whisper. And he was. He was relieved that Keith would get to stay. Relieved that the elders weren’t going to throw him out of their village. He didn’t think he’d be as relieved as he was. Then again, he didn’t think a lot of things would happen that had happened.

They were quiet for a while, watching the water lighten as the sun rose, and Lance heard his family calling his name. “I’m up here,” he called down to them. He’d have to go back soon so that they wouldn’t worry about him too much. He’d also have to introduce them to Keith and explain everything about how they met. But for now, he was content on staying in this little bubble.

If someone had asked Lance what he thought his life would’ve been like in a week, he would’ve told them it’d be the same as it always was. He’d never have thought that he’d have to fight off a disease that almost killed his village. He’d never thought that he’d meet someone like Keith. He’d never think he’d have the life he did now. And while there were a lot of things that he would change about what happened, meeting Keith and saving his village weren’t any of them.


End file.
